Rock Star by Roslyn Hardy Holcomb Read Free Book Online Page B

tycoon,” Bryan stated emphatically.
    “Actually, Bryan, there’s nothing much to tell. I’m just a small business owner in a small town.”
    Bryan raised his brows. “Give it up, Callie, I want to hear about it.”
    Callie sighed, “Well don’t blame me if you fall asleep in your soup.”
    Bryan chuckled. “Hell, I’ve already decided I want to be buried in it. Now come on, were you born here? Is this your hometown?”
    Callie nodded. “I was born and raised here in Maple Fork. I know just about everybody.”
    “That must be pretty cool. I mean, I grew up in East L.A. Most of the people I knew growing up are either dead or in jail.”
    “It has its good and bad points,” she mused.
    “What do you mean?”
    Callie reflected for a moment, “There have been times when I would have preferred a little more anonymity. Instead, from the time I was a little girl, people have been watching me. If I did something bad, I knew somebody would call my mama before I even got home. Actually, they still call my mama if they think I’m acting up.”
    Bryan gave a snort of disbelief.
    “Oh, you think I’m kidding?” Callie asked insistently. “Let me give you an example. Last week I walked into Wal-Mart and didn’t speak to the greeter. My mama called to ask me about it that night!”
    “You’re kidding.”
    “No, that’s small-town life. It’s like a cocoon, all nice and safe, but if you’re not careful, a cocoon can smother you.” She sighed philosophically.
    Bryan nodded his understanding. “Yeah, and what is this ‘speaking’ thing? Everywhere I go people nod and smile. At first, I thought they’d recognized me, but then I realized they didn’t know me from Adam. They were just being friendly. Is that a Southern thing?”
    Callie nodded. “Definitely a Southern thing and especially a Southern black thing. If you don’t speak, folks label you as siditty.”
    “Siditty?” He tried the word out. “I like that. Spell it,” he demanded.
    She gave him a speaking glance. He had to be joking. There were some words that were for speaking only. Siditty definitely fell into that category.
    “But what the heck does it mean?”
    “Snobbish, stuck-up.” Callie took a sip of soup.
    “Oh, siditty, I like that. It’s sort of like Yiddish. It sounds exactly like what it means.” Bryan nodded thoughtfully. “So you’ve never been away from Maple Fork?”
    “Yeah, I left to go to college and business school.”
    “But since you came back here, it must not be too bad.”
    Callie leaned back in her chair and thought about that for a moment. “You know, when I left, I really missed it. Tuscaloosa is a much larger town than Maple Fork and has a lot more conveniences. I also spent a lot of time in Birmingham, and it’s really big. Most folks thought I’d relocate there or go to Atlanta. You know, it seems to be the law these days that all young black professionals must live in Atlanta.” She smiled wryly. “Both places are full of opportunities for small business, but all I could think about was coming back home and opening my bookstore. That’s all I ever really wanted to do.”
    “But why a bookstore, Callie?”
    Callie pursed her lips, drawing Bryan’s eye to that unconscious gesture as she contemplated the question. “Well, I’ve always loved books. I worked in a bookstore all through high school and college. I always wanted one of my own.”
    Bryan wondered if she had any idea how lusciously tempting her lips looked when she pursed them like that.
    He raised a brow. “Just one bookstore, Callie?” he asked suspecting her imperialistic dreams.
    Callie chuckled. “Okay, you sussed me out, chain of bookstores.” Bryan raised his brow higher as he smirked at her response. Callie giggled helplessly at his expression. “All right, chain of bookstores, boutiques and day spas, but that will be in my new five-year plan. I’ll start working on that next month.”
    Bryan shook his head at the oddity of